Dr. Bru Cormand and Dr. Raquel Rabionet, IBUB researchers, have participated in the international study that analyzed millions of genetic variants in more than 800.000 people -among patients and healthy volunteers─, allowing to profiling the genetic basis psychiatric and non-psychiatric neurological disorders have in common (such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, migraine, etc.) and it broadens the interest focus on personality traits which are not regarded as clinical disorders (emotional instability, etc.) and cognitive parameters (school performance, for instance).
Experts focused the analysis on genetic variants that are common among the general population –present in more than 1 % of the individuals- but which can lead to psychiatric or neurological disorders in some combinations. The studied variants are those affecting changes in an only DNA nucleotide (SNPs), which are more abundant in the human genome.
This study concludes a strong genetic correlation between the most common psychiatric disorders, while neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, epilepsy or multiple sclerosis (with the exception of migraine) have more differentiated genetic profiles.
The study has been published in the journal Science. http://science.sciencemag.org/content/360/6395/eaap8757
More information: http://www.ub.edu/web/ub/en/menu_eines/noticies/2018/06/043.html
